Remember Sawyer from 'Lost'? What happened to Josh Holloway?

The eternal 'Sawyer'
Sawyer beat Jack - for the fans
Pure chemistry
From California with love
From the top...
... to the near-invisible
He has not been without work
The origins of Josh Holloway
Life before the island
'Cryin'
A beautiful thief
Model and actor
James 'Sawyer' Ford
New beginnings, both personal and professional
Much of his time was spent in Hawaii
Remember 'Whisper'?
Davidoff had the most success
'Lost' was over and...
...he joined Tom Cruise
Lost next to the superstars
Supporting roles
His first lead role came and left (many) doubting
Resounding failure
Rejected for good roles
He did not want to be a person of interest
A return to television
An unexpected cancelation
Embracing the small screen
'Colony'
A happy reunion with Sarah Wayne Callies
Amazing Stories
Josh Holloway in 'Yellowstone'
Making life hard for Kevin Costner
Back to J. J. from 'Lost'
Outlawed (again)
Private life is important to him
A family man
Two children
Dad's a star
The eternal 'Sawyer'

Josh Holloway was 35 years old when he began filming the series that would make him a superstar. He became a television icon thanks to the legendary series 'Lost.'

Sawyer beat Jack - for the fans

He wasn't meant to be the main character of the series (or, was he?), but his portrayal of Sawyer ended up taking over Matthew Fox's portrayal of Jack. Although many loved Fox's persona, he never quite managed to compete with the fans' number-one character, Sawyer.

Pure chemistry

The same could be said for Kate (Evangeline Lilly) who became part of a fascinating love quadrangle involving Kate, Sawyer, Juliet, and Jack. Despite Sawyer ending up with Juliet and Kate with Jack, the on-screen chemistry between Evangeline Lilly and Josh Holloway was spectacular.

From California with love

But of course, this Californian hunk had that little something extra to make the whole world fall in love with him. A knockout body, some lovely lush long locks, standing at 190 centimetres, blue eyes and a dazzling personality both on and off screen.

From the top...

Weirdly enough, all that fame and high praise he received between 2004 and 2010, disappeared in one fell swoop.

... to the near-invisible

Josh Holloway's star stopped shining as soon as 'Lost' closed it curtains.

He has not been without work

Although he has not stopped working, his roles have not generated even 10% of the success that Sawyer had.

The origins of Josh Holloway

But, before we find out what has become of good old Josh Holloway, it doesn't hurt to know where he came from.

Life before the island

Before getting on that fateful Oceanic Airlines flight 815, the Californian had already been in the industry for more than 10 years.

'Cryin'

In fact, his on-camera debut was in another historic event entirely, this time in music. You can see his face in the legendary music video for the Aerosmith hit, 'Cryin'.'

A beautiful thief

Yes, that was him! Josh Holloway, in 1993, at the age of 24, played the handsome thief who stole Alicia Silverstone's purse in the video.

Model and actor

Over the next 10 years, Holloway alternated work as a model (Versace, Armani, and Calvin Klein, among others), with appearances in some episodes of the best series at the time: 'Angel' (1999), 'Walker, Texas Ranger' (2001), 'C.S.I.' (2003) and 'NCIS' (2004), as well as a few small films.

James 'Sawyer' Ford

But it was 2004 when James Ford came into his life. From then on, Josh Holloway would be recognized as Sawyer for the rest of his life.

New beginnings, both personal and professional

Personally as well as professionally it was a happy time because Josh proposed to his girlfriend Yessica while shooting the pilot episode of 'Lost' in Hawaii.

Much of his time was spent in Hawaii

Although filming 'Lost' required long periods of shooting in Hawaii (eight to nine months a year), the actor was able to combine the series with some side projects.

Remember 'Whisper'?

For example, in 2007 he joined the team of 'Whisper', sharing the spotlight with Sarah Wayne Callies who we better know as the reviled Dr. Tancredi in 'Prison Break' and the hated Lory in 'The Walking Dead.'

Davidoff had the most success

Interestingly, his most remembered work whilst he was filming 'Lost' was the advert he shot for Davidoff and their best-known fragrance 'Cool Water.'

'Lost' was over and...

2010 was a very sad year for 'Lost' fans. Sawyer, Jack, Kate, and co. left the island for good. Now that the series was a wrap, Josh Holloway aimed to be 'The Next Big Thing' in Hollywood.

...he joined Tom Cruise

He didn't have to wait long for his first big project. He landed the role of Hanaway in 'Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol' (2011).

Lost next to the superstars

But he was standing in Tom Cruise's shadow and that of one of his most iconic characters, Ethan Hunt. It all proved too overbearing to allow Josh Holloway to really shine.

Supporting roles

More opportunities were lining themselves up. 'Paranoia' (2013) with Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman; and 'Sabotage' (2014), alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terrence Howard, and Joe Manganiello. Too many cooks?

His first lead role came and left (many) doubting

Now, the worst role for the actor came with his first starring role, also back in 2013. 'Battle of the Year' saw him as Jason Blake, a basketball coach who turned into a break dance coach in preparation for the Olympics. Need we say more?

Resounding failure

The film, which was too niche, did not go down well with either audiences or critics. In fact, it had a budget of 20 million and grossed just over 16 million dollars worldwide. A resonating flop.

Rejected for good roles

Not only did he not get the roles right, but he also didn't get a few of the best roles either. Josh Holloway was considered to be Gambit in 'X-Men: Origins' and Crossbones in 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier,' a role that eventually went to Frank Grillo.

He did not want to be a person of interest

He also turned down a role in 'Person of Interest,' where he would have shared the screen with Michael Emerson. He made this decision because he did not want to move his family to the other side of the US.

A return to television

Faced with the cruelty of the big screen, Josh Holloway opted to return to his natural habitat, television. In 2014, he starred in 'Intelligence' on CBS, where he played Gabriel Vaughn, an intelligence service agent who had a chip implanted in his brain that could turn him into the perfect agent.

An unexpected cancelation

The series was canceled after just one season, despite the good reviews it received. It received a 6.9 on iMDb and saw tremendous chemistry with Meghan Ory. Nobody could understand why it was pulled.

Embracing the small screen

The series did, however, keep Josh Holloway loyal to the small screen, even if it did take two more years for his next role to arrive.

'Colony'

That came in 2016 with 'Colony', an updated version of 'V' (remember that classic 80s sci-fi series?). He played Will Bowman, a former FBI agent who had to collaborate with the invading aliens to put an end to the citizen resistance.

A happy reunion with Sarah Wayne Callies

The series, aired on USA Network, ran for three seasons and saw the actor reunite with Sarah Wayne Callies, almost 10 years after 'Whisper.'

Amazing Stories

With the lapse of the pandemic, Josh Holloway returned to the limelight with Apple TV+ and its revival of Steven Spielberg's 'Amazing Stories.'

Josh Holloway in 'Yellowstone'

His next big break came in 'Yellowstone', one of the big hit series at the moment. He joined in its third season, in the summer of 2021.

Making life hard for Kevin Costner

Holloway took on the role of Roarke Carter, an ambitious hedge fund manager who caused problems for the Duttons and Kevin Costner. In season 4 of the series, he came back for a little while.

Back to J. J. from 'Lost'

Then, in 2021, another striking reunion happened for Josh Holloway. He returned to work with J.J. Abrams, 11 years after the 'Lost' finale.

Outlawed (again)

In a series that has yet to be scheduled, Holloway plays the getaway driver in a crime syndicate. The series, set in the 1970s, will air on HBO.

Private life is important to him

As we have said, the actor is not the kind of Hollywood hawk who aspires to dominate the world. His dream is simply to be a good father.

 

 

A family man

He is a family man and he has found his peace and success with Yessica Kumala. The couple married on 1 October 2004.

Two children

They are on their way to reaching two decades of marriage and the couple has two children: Java Kumala (2009) and Hunter Lee (2014).

Dad's a star

Undoubtedly, his two children will watch their father shine in all the great projects he had after his Sawyer left the island from 'Lost.'